Arrow-right Camera
The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883
Nov. 5, 2013

Washington General Election, Nov. 5

See all results

On the Ballot

Races

Complete Coverage

Doug Clark: John Ahern’s recount strategy compounds big loss

Nobility sometimes rises out of a crushing defeat. It’s our way of romanticizing lost causes like Gen. Custer’s futile last stand at Little Big Horn, say, or those brave Alamo holdouts, so outnumbered and outgunned.

Sunday Spin2: New definition of victory?

None

Spin Control: Undervotes could have brought win to ballot losers

Spokane County’s effort to raise property taxes failed on Tuesday, but it could have won. John Smith could have beat Brian Dansel in Northeast Washington’s 7th Legislative District, Linda Thompson could have beat Rod Higgins for a seat on the Spokane Valley City Council and all three losers in the contested Liberty Lake council races could have been winners. All of this could have happened without any special tricks to get more voters in key precincts to the polls. The votes were there, the campaigns just didn’t close the deal.

Spokane County rural voters deny Proposition 1

Efforts to raise property taxes to buy homes and land around Fairchild Air Force Base dimmed Wednesday as “no” votes piled up – especially in rural and poorer areas of the county. “They just couldn’t afford to do it,” Airway Heights Mayor Patrick Rushing said of voters in two lower-income neighborhoods near the base, which rejected the measure.

Spokane City Council power shifts post-election

To the victors go the committee assignments. It may not sound exciting, but the first likely change in the new Spokane City Council as a result of Candace Mumm’s victory Tuesday is the power to decide who sits on what committee.

Sen. Ed Murray wrests seat from Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn

SEATTLE – The leader of Washington’s successful effort to legalize gay marriage is now set to become Seattle’s next mayor. Updated election results Wednesday night showed state Sen. Ed Murray winning the race with 56 percent of the vote.

Fairchild encroachment tax, Valley incumbent Schimmels slide in new vote counts

A tax to relocate residents in a Fairchild Air Force Base’s accident potential zone appears to have failed based on updated vote counts in Tuesday’s election.

Mapping the Vote: NW City Council race

None

Mumm and Snyder take commanding leads in Spokane City Council races

The balance of the Spokane City Council will shift to the left after a season of record-breaking campaign spending. The first results from Tuesday’s election showed incumbent Councilman Jon Snyder easily holding on to his seat representing south Spokane with 64 percent of the vote over former Republican state Rep. John Ahern. In the other competitive Spokane council race, former Plan Commission Chairwoman Candace Mumm was beating Michael Cannon, chairman of the city’s Community, Housing and Human Services Board, with 54 percent of the vote.

Fairchild Air Force Base tax outcome uncertain

A tax measure to protect Fairchild Air Force Base from civilian encroachment was trailing in Tuesday night’s count, but the race was too close to call. Spokane County Proposition 1 received a 51 percent “no” vote out of nearly 80,000 ballots counted so far.

Shawn Vestal: Politics makes us dumb

Two questions for the morning after: Who’d you vote against yesterday? And are you feeling smarter yet, now that the fog of politics is lifting? The day after Election Day is, perhaps, not the most opportune time to point this out, but despite our lionization of citizenship and participatory democracy, politics often brings out the worst in us. I don’t mean politics can be a dirty business, though it can. What I’m referring to now is the fact that political battle very literally makes us worse at being people – it makes us less rational creatures.

GMO labeling initiative appears headed for failure; Eyman’s I-517 rejected

Washington voters signaled they are leery of requiring labels on genetically modified foods, satisfied with their century-old initiative process and have mixed advice for the Legislature on taxes. Initiative 522, which would have required many foods and beverages that contain genetically modified ingredients sold in Washington to carry labels, was trailing Tuesday night by more than 95,000 votes and appeared headed for defeat.

Mapping the Vote: Spo Co. Prop 1 revised

None

Conservatives lose control of Spokane City Council; voters oust state senator

Progressives appear poised to regain control of the Spokane City Council.

Democrat McAuliffe wins Virginia governor’s race

TYSONS CORNER, Va. (AP) — Democrat Terry McAuliffe has been elected Virginia’s next governor, defeating Republican Ken Cuccinelli after pledging to expand the state’s Medicaid rolls and portraying his rival as someone who would turn back years of progress.

Washington elections draw big out-of-state donations

SEATTLE – Initiative 522 would change the law only in Washington state, but you wouldn’t know it by looking at the lists of campaign donors. Of the $22 million raised to oppose the proposal to label genetically engineered food, exactly $550 has come from individuals and companies based in Washington, according to the Public Disclosure Commission.

Editorial: The Spokesman-Review’s choices for Tuesday’s election

The Spokesman-Review editorial board has wrapped up endorsements for the 2013 election season, which comes to an end on Tuesday. To read the full text of the editorials online, go to http://www.spokesman.com/ tags/election-endorsement-2013. To summarize: Spokane City Council District 2: The contestants are John Ahern and incumbent Jon Snyder. We endorse Snyder, an energetic leader who has demonstrated the ability to work with all council members. Though labor-backed, he says the city might have to test arbitration to push the case that employee compensation outweighs the community’s ability to pay.